A settlement agreement has been reached between Bayer and plaintiffs who filed a Yaz and Yasmin lawsuit specifically citing gallbladder complications. The settlement agreement between the plaintiffs and Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company responsible for the development and marketing of Yaz and Yasmin, was reached on March 15.

The plaintiffs’ Yaz gallbladder lawsuits against Bayer were filed in courts across the U.S., including a Yaz and Yasmin multi-district litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The Yaz and Yasmin MDL is known as In Re Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation MDL No. 2100, presided over by Chief Judge David R. Herndon.

Plaintiffs also filed gallbladder injury lawsuits against Bayer in California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, according to a Reuters report.

Though the German pharmaceutical company upholds that neither Yaz nor Yasmin cause health complications affecting the gallbladder, the Yaz and Yasmin gallbladder injury settlement totals $24 million. This settlement amount represents a cap established by Bayer, meaning that the drugmaker will go no higher than this amount in settling gallbladder injury lawsuits.

Furthermore, Bayer can disband the settlement fund at any time, especially if less than ninety percent of plaintiffs agree to take their share of the $24 million.

The settlement will be divided among plaintiffs in amounts of $2000–3000. Plaintiffs who filed a Yaz gallbladder lawsuit alleging they experienced gallbladder complications will be awarded $2000, and $3000 will be given to plaintiffs who underwent gallbladder removal surgery.

In the Bayer 2012 annual report released in February 2013, the drug company states that it has been served approximately 10,000 Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits with another 1,200 pending cases. Bayer also faces thirteen class actions lawsuits in Canada.

In the report, Bayer goes on to state that plaintiffs have filed Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella lawsuits claiming that they have experienced health complications, specifically injuries linked to blood clots and strokes, some of which have proven fatal. In providing further background on the Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella lawsuits, Bayer shares that plaintiffs believe Bayer marketed these contraceptive drugs with full knowledge of the health risks posed by them.

Bayer says that it plans to fight the Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits.

Yaz and Yasmin lawyers at Carey Danis & Lowe are encouraged by the gallbladder injury settlement, as it demonstrates Bayer backing down from fighting plaintiffs’ gallbladder injury allegations. Though plaintiffs have suffered a significant amount from ingestion of either Yaz or Yasmin, the gallbladder injury settlement lays down a positive foundation for future Yaz and Yasmin legal proceedings pertaining to blood clot formation, strokes, and fatalities.

If you or a loved one has been injured by Yaz or Yasmin, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your suffering and loss. Contact a Yaz and Yasmin lawyer at Carey Danis & Lowe for a free legal evaluation about your Yaz and Yasmin case and for help with filing a Yaz and Yasmin lawsuit.